


your ship may be coming in

by DragonEyez



Series: 'Till it's banging on my eyelids [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Link (Legend of Zelda) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Man Out of Time, Personal Growth, Platonic Relationships, Post-Canon, Post-Game(s), Zelda (Legend of Zelda) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, feelings of anachronism, ship if you squint i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 13:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19210573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonEyez/pseuds/DragonEyez
Summary: “Oh.” Zelda shook her own hood down, revealing shorn tresses and a sad expression as her own. Link had come upon her crying in his loft one late afternoon, rusty and dull dagger clenched in her fist, hair around her like fallen leaves.





	your ship may be coming in

**Author's Note:**

> i saw the botw2 trailer, wanted to write about zelda and link finding ganondorf under the castle, and instead i wrote this and that's okay too. it's my hc that link is mute and uses hylian sign, and the brackets are meant to indicate that. zelda and link both have to be Hella Traumatized from the events of botw so i wanted to scratch the surface of that as well. stay tuned, i think i've accidentally started a series
> 
> title from [a better son/daughter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0sy7y54XAE) by rilo kylie

The moon was cold and bright as the two heroes sat on horseback, surveying the plains. 

“I can hardly believe the change over these scant few months. The verdancy is unbelievable. Don’t you agree?” The first speaker turned to the second, watching as he pulled down his hood to reveal a melancholy expression. 

«It’s beautiful, but I miss the quiet.»

“How do you mean? It’s still silent as the grave. We haven’t even begun to rebuild yet.”

«More people now. The traffic is pushing back the growth. The animals are moving back now. No more sitting in the ruins.»

“Yes, I understand. The wilderness of abandonment was beautiful, albeit sad. It was strange to see at first, though, I must admit. I could hardly believe how much a century had changed even just this corner of our little kingdom.”

«It was free. Better now, without the monsters though.» Link cracked a smile at his own statement. «Better with a queen instead. Maybe. I think you should see how much the world has changed since you’ve been gone.»

“I saw it through scrying, and through your eyes.”

Link shook his head, signing “No” emphatically. «It’s different in person. Tactile. It’s hard to comprehend how it’s moved on without being there yourself. Not to mention the fact that you never really went among the people except for politics. But, still, Hylia might wish its princess-» he shook his head and signed again «queen.»

“Oh.” Zelda shook her own hood down, revealing shorn tresses and a sad expression as her own. Link had come upon her crying in his loft one late afternoon, rusty and dull dagger clenched in her fist, hair around her like fallen leaves. He’d offered no commentary, only took the blade from her and returned with a sharper piece. Only the soft _shick_ of cutting and softer tears could be heard as he evened out the cut, shearing it nearly the nape of her neck in the back while leaving the front untouched. Link had no mirrors in his little house, but the blade of his claymore was polished enough for Zelda to examine his work. 

«Thank you.» She offered. 

«Of course.»

He busied himself making tea, steeping Warm Safflina and Silent Princess blooms until the deep red had leached completely into the water before adding some honey and offering Zelda a cup. They sat on the front stairs, gazing out over Hateno Village as the sun set the roofs on fire. Link asked no questions of Zelda. He figured she would either an explanation or she wouldn’t. Either way, it was her decision and he desired only to ensure she was cared for. 

“You have the picture we took that day. I. I don’t know. I’m not that person anymore. That person _failed_ you all. _I_ failed you all. You died because of my inability to do my duties and I just...couldn’t anymore. I couldn’t be _her_.” She fell silent, sipping on her tea. Link followed suit, piecing together his thoughts. The moments passed between them before Link set aside his own cup.

«We all knew what we were doing when we agreed to become the Champions. It was a possibility that we would fall doing our duty, and it was an outcome we accepted readily. You’re no more at fault for our fates as you were your own. You already have so much weight on your back, don’t carry this one too.»

There were no more words to be said or tears to be shed, so they sat there in peace together. 

Tonight, they sat together similarly. 

“I scarcely feel prepared to be a queen, Link, although I do thank you for your perspective. I’m 117 years old, though I do not look it. My people have lived without a ruler, and there are very few who remember me at all. What use is a queen to a scattered kingdom? And it’s not as if Father ever trained me to _rule_. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. It was only ever expected that I should unlock my powers and spend my time doing nothing else. I fear I’m little more than a figurehead without a purpose.”

«That’s how I felt when I woke. I didn’t know how to be Link-then with Link-now. Too many expectations with no experience. You don’t have to be queen. Try being Zelda for now.»

“I’m afraid I don’t know who ‘Zelda’ is either. All my attempts to get to know her were...highly discouraged if you recall.”

«You have plenty of time now. No prophecy, nobody expecting anything of you. I think,» his hands stilled as he pursed his lips in thought. «I think I’d like to meet Zelda.»

Her expression changed to a real, genuine smile as she petted the mane of her horse. “I think she would like to meet you too. You’ve changed as well. I believe you’ve thrived in this new world.”

«There’s much to do. Much to see. So many new people to meet who don’t know me only as the one that wields The-Sword-That-Seals-The-Darkness. I met so many new people and reconnected with old friends in a way that they got to know _me_. I have a home, friends, new family.»

“That sounds...so nice.”

«You can have that too, you know.»

“I know. Such a strange truth to realize.”

Instead of responding, Link flashed her a mischievous grin and spurred his horse on, vanishing down the hill in an instant. Zelda took off after him with a joyful shout. The pair raced across the plains towards the castle, drinking up the moonlight and all she afforded them.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated and i can be found [@thedaedpoets](https://twitter.com/thedaedpoets) on twitter, [here on tumblr](https://tumblr.com/theunacceptablepylades), and if you like what i do, consider checking out my [pinned tweet](https://twitter.com/thedaedpoets/status/1081374361024552960)


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